Duplicating pad or pack



E. z. LEWIS DUPLICATING PAD OR PACK Filed Sept. 27, 1941 Nov. 28, 1944. 2,363,601

7 6 INVENTOR.

I gdw aJ "OLZ my, ALMA, a 6 5.

Patented Nov. 28,

UNI ED STATES" PATENT. orrlca 2,303,061

r I DUILIQA'I'ING PAD OR PACK.

Edward Z. Lewis, Evanston, Ill., assignor to General Manifold & Printing 00., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application sentence: 21. 1941, Serial No. 41z,ss1

'15 Claims. (Cl. 101-149.

My invention relates to improvements in duplicatingpads or packs by means of which a number of master copy sheets may be made by the repeated use of a single sheet of hectograph transfer paper without causing the written ma-- terial on the successive'sheets to be less and less distinct. y

. Hectograph transfer material is very costly as compared, for example, to ordinary carbon transfer material, and whereas a sheet of so-called carbon paper ordinarily is used many times in a typewriter in making carbon copies before it is discarded, even though substantially the same areas are used in these repeated operations, a hectograph coated sheet such as is used in making master ,copy sheetsis often used only once before being discarded.

In making the usual master copy sheet, a sheet of hectograph coated paper is placed behind it in the typewriter, face up, so that the data which is typed on the face of the master sheet appears typed in reverse order on the back thereof. Such sheets are then used in a spirit duplicating machine to produce a number of duplicate copies of the typed material, 1. e. several dozen.copies or even a hundred or more, before the hectograph material on the back of the sheet is substantially exhausted.

Another way of making aconsiderable numberof duplicate copies, as for example where an order is filled inon an order blank by a salesman while he is away from the office, is to send in the in, and should continue to-use the same transfer sheet with the remaining sheets until all of them were used,'the words and figures appearing on the back of'the successive sheets would become progressively lessdistinct or less legible, with the result that these original order sheets could not be used successfully in a spiritduplicator machine to make more than a few legible copies, if

original order to the omce, where the necessary I number of copies thereof are made by retyping the order, making as many carbons thereof as are necesssary for use in the different departments.

' This-typing operation necessarily involves addi-.

tional delay and expense. .In using a pad of printed forms in the usual manner, a salesman writes the order, on the top recordsheet. A sheet of paper with a coating of hectograph transfer material may be inserted face up immediately beneath this top record sheet and hence the words and figures written in longhand on the face of the top sheet (or typed thereon) appear in reverse order onthe back thereof. The top sheet may then be torn 01! and mailed into headquarters to be reproduced on a spirit duplicating machine.

If the salesman, after filling in'and tearing off the first order sheet, should pull out the transfer sheet and place it beneath the second sheetand" then write out an order, to be torn off and mailed any. In addition, the fingers of the user would be badly soiled or smudged by the hectograph transfer material, which is particularly objectionable from this standpoint.

One object of my invention is to provide an improved pad in which the sheets are arranged and secured to each other in such a manner that one record sheet after another may be filled in torn'ofi and used successfully on a spirit duplicator machine. The sheets are so arranged as to necessitate the use of a slightly different horizontal or vertical band or zo'neof transfer material as the successive orders are filled in. Thus a substantially fresh supply of hectograph material is available for each order sheetand the data appearing on the back of the vlast order sheet is substantially as clear and distinct as that on the 5 the order sheets as to avoid'touchlng the transfer sheet with the fingers when using the pack,

and thus avoid soiling the ha'hds.

An additional object is to produce a pack of this character in which, after the top order sheet has been filled inland torn off, exposing the transfer sheet, the bottom sheet of the-pack may be swlmg around'tothe top of the pack to cover and protect said transfer sheet and at the same time be available as the next order sheet to be filled in. In-other words, after filling in and tearing oil the top order sheet, the remaining order sheets of the pack are filled in, beginning with the bottom sheet and proceeding in order to the second sheet instead of working from the second sheet down.

A further object is to provide a pack of this character, the upper edge of which is somewhat rounded to facilitate insertion of the same into 1 a typewriter.

In the ac'companying drawing I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention.

Fig. l is a perspective view of the complete pack;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the same with the top sheet lifted, showing the line of perforations along which it is torn off;

Fig. 31s an enlarged, side view of the individual sheets spread apartto illustrate the assembly forms or order sheets, six in this instance, the top sheet ID as shown in Fig.3, having its upper marginal portions serving as hinges. Although in Fig. 5 the side view of the pack is necessarily somewhat exaggerated in size to show the individual sheets, in practice the folded portions nest into each other so closely as to provide in effect a series of hinged sheets of equal length and the bottom edges are substantially in registration. In other words the hinge for each sheet is substantially the same distance from the hotto the top as shown in Fig. 6.

margin folded under at III. The remaining successive order sheets are numbered ll, l2, l3, l4 and II and each has its margin folded over instead of under, forming a series of successively flap III is preferably somewhat wider than any of these other flaps. A sheet of transfer paper I6 is positioned beneath the top order sheet and above the remaining order sheets, being located preferably with its upper margin received within the fold made by the turned-over flap i IP, as suggested in Fig. 3. The transfer material is the conventional hectograph transfer material or other composition suitable for making a large number of reproductions. These order sheets are held together by their flaps which flaps are secured to' each other in various different ways, asfor example by means of a line of stitching or a few staples I! which pas also through the upper "margin of the transfer sheet, as shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5, or by using an adhesive. Thus the transfer sheet is also held in place. Where wire stitching or staples are used, they are normally concealed by the top order sheet I0. Said transfer sheet may be somewhat shorter than the other sheets but it preferably extends as far down as the remaining sheets, as shown, having'an uncoated margin on all sides to facilitate handling'without touching the transfer coating material, and to prevent crocking.

When the upper sheet I0 is filled in with the appropriate order, the data written thereon will appear in reverse on the back. In tearing off this upper sheet it is preferable to raise the lower right hand corner thereof with one hand, then grasp the upper left hand margin near the staple lL-shown in Fig. 2, and the tear the top sheet away from its marginal flap l0, along 'the line of weakening, i. e. the perforations l8 shown in said figure. Said flap is sufliciently wide to permit this manipulation without touching the transfer material. The line of weakening preferably coincides with the crease formed by folding the flap lll flat against the main portion of the sheet. The bottom sheet of the pack is then swung around by hand, somewhat as shown in Fig. 5, until it rests on the top of the pack, covering and'concealing the sheet of transfer materialIS. Similar linesof weakening-are formed in all of the order sheets, in addition to which, bymeans of the folds or creases, the remaining sheets may readily be swung around to the top, one at a -time as need, without danger of detaching them from the pack prematurely, the

tom of the pack in all cases, particularly when the sheet is swung around on top of the transfer material to the position in which it is used. -After all the sheets have been nlled in and torn off in the manner described. the remaining material consists merely of the used carbon sheet. IS, with a group 'of transverse strips of paper secured thereto at the upper end, the stubs becoming progressively wider from the bottom The original printed forms have the usual horizontal lines and vertical lines thereon and such additional printed matter as may be appropriate. By reason-of the variation in the width (from top to bottom) of the marginal flaps ill, ll I4 and I5, the distance from any one I horizontal line to the bottom of the order is slightly different in the case of each form. For example, on the to order sheet (unless it is used as a mere advertis ng cover or protecting sheet to be discarded), the bottom line may be further from the bottom edge of the sheet than any of the other forms, the second sheet having its corresponding bottom line nearer to the bottom edge of the sheet than the bottom lines of the successively lower sheets, which lines become progressively higher. The position of this lower l9", I9", etc. is indicated approximately in Fig. 5.

With this arrangement, the writing of each order makes use, to a great extent, of a fresh .40 strip or band of transfer material so that even on the assumption that each order was identically the same asthe others, which is not the case,

.spirit duplicator.

In addition to varying the distance from the bottom 'edge of each form to the lines of writing, the columns themselves may be shifted somewhat to the right or left with respect to the sides of the form for a similar purpose. In the particular form shown in the drawing, in which some of the column are headed Quantity," Price" etc., these and similar columns are usually provided with double or'triple the actual space required for the figures written therein, the legibility of which figures is most important. If the lines or otherindications defining these columns on the printed forms are shifted slightly so that each is somewhat farther from one of the side edges, for example, than in the form immediately beneath it, and so on, the hectograph coating will be more completely used and the legibility of the data appearing on the back of the order will be a maximum. A'preferred and more inexpensive arrangement, however, is shown in Figs. land 2 of the drawing, in which the sheets are displaced laterally to prevent exact vertical alignment of the columns, 1. e. the sheets are fanned at one side or the other. Either the vertical or the horizontal shifting may be used without the other, however, as will be evident.

positioned face up between twoupper record sheets, each record sheet havingits upper margin folded to'form a flap with a line of weakening at the fold, means for'holding said flaps in superimposed relation over said transfer sheet, the uppermost flap serving as a convenient gripping area for the hand to prevent-smudging the same when sheets employed is preferably such as to present a fairly thin upper edge for readyinsertion in a typewriter.

I claim:

1. A duplicating 'pack comprising printed forms each having one edge thereof folded over and secured to the remaining forms with the corresponding guide lines on each form displaced a different distance from one edge thereof so that all of said lines are out of registration, and a sheet of hectograph transfer material positioned between the upper form and'the remaining forms whereby after superimposing said printed forms over said transfer sheet, one at a time, and writing thereon, areverse impression is made on the back of each form by an unused area of said transfer material.

2. A duplicating pack comprising printed forms each having a hinged connection, near one end, with said pack,.whereby the lower forms may be tearing off the record sheet immediately above said transfer sheet.

8. A duplicating pack as in claim '7 in which each record sheet, whenit is used as the uppermost sheet, serves as a protecting sheet for said transfer sheet and in which the coated surface of the latter terminates short of the lower edges of said record sheets.

9. A duplicating pack comprising printed forms each having one edge thereof folded to form a flap and secured to the remaining flaps to provide hinges, with guide lines on each form displaced a swung to the top of the pack, one at a time, after tearing off the upper forms one ata time, and a sheet of hectograph transfer material positioned face up immediately beneath the original top form, whereby a reverse impression of the data .written on the top of each form appears also on the back thereof. 1

3. A duplicating pack comprising printed forms .each having one edge thereof folded over to form a flap and secured to the remaining forms to pro vide a hinge, with the corresponding guide lines on-each form displaced a different distance from one edge of said form so that all of said lines are out of register, and a sheet of hectograph transfer material positioned between the upper form and the remaining forms, whereby after using and tearing of! the upper form, the bottom form may be swung around by means of its hinge to uppermost position in contact with said transfer sheet. 4. A duplicating pack as in claim 3 in which said flaps are secured by fastening devices which pass through the sameand through said sheet of hectograph transfer material.

5. A duplicating'pack as in claim 3in which the edges of said folds made in forming said flaps, constitute lines of weakening'to permit said forms to be torn from said flaps.

6. A'pad of forms used in providing master record sheets, comprising a plurality of superimposed record sheets, a sheet of transfer material positioned face up between the two upper record sheets, and means for holding said sheets temporarily in position, whereby after the uppermost sheet has-been filled in, with a reverse record I on the back thereof produced by said transfer sheet, said uppermost sheet may be removed and different distance from the side edge of said formso that certain columns are out of register, and a,

sheet of hectograph transfer material positioned a between the upper form and the remainingforms,

whereby after using and tearing of! the upper form, the bottom form may be swung around by means of its hinge to uppermost position in contact with said transfer sheet and whereby a different area of hectograph materialis available for said columns in filling in successive printed forms.

10. A duplicating pack comprising printed forms each having one edge thereof folded to form a flap and secured to the remaining flaps to provide hinges, with vertical and horizontal guide lines on each form, the vertical lines on each form being displaced a different distance from the side edge than those on the remaining forms, and the horizontal lines being similarly displaced from the bottom edge of the forms, and a sheet of hectograph transfer material positioned between the upper form and the remaining forms.

11. A duplicating pack comprising printed forms each having one edge thereof folded to form a flap and secured to the remaining flaps to form hinges, said forms being fanned at one edge whereby the guide lines on each form are displaced somewhatwith respect to the remaining forms, and a sheet of hectograph transfer material positioned between the upper form and the tance from the lower edge of said pack, and a the lowermost sheet moved to uppermost position in contact with said transfer sheet, to be replaced in turn by the remaining sheets beneath said transfer sheet.

'7. A pad of forms used in providing master rec- 0rd sheets, comprising a plurality of superimposed record sheets, a sheet of transfer material remaining forms. 1

12. A duplicating pack comprising printed forms each having a hinged connection, near one end, with said pack, whereby the lower forms may be swung to the top of thepack one at atime after tearing off the 'upper forms one at a time, said forms being of the same width but each being displaced laterally with respect to the others to avoidperfect registration of the printed columns on each form with respect to the others. and a sheet of hectograph transfer material positioned face up beneath the original top form.

13. A duplicating pack comprising printed forms, the top form having its upper edge turned under to form a flap andthe' remaining forms having their upper edges turned over to form additional flaps, means for securing said flaps to each other whereby each form ishinged to the pack as a whole at substantially the same dissheet of transfer material permanently secured to said pack between adjacent forms.

14. A duplicating pack as in claim 13, in which all of said turned over flaps are of different width from top to bottom;

15. A duplicating pack comprising similar printed forms including horizontal lines positioned the:

same distance from the upper edge of each form, said forms being progressively longer from top to bottom and each having its upper edge folded over at the same distance from the bottom to form a flap, whereby all of said printed forms comprising the area below the flap, are of substantially the same vertical height and all of said flaps are of different vertical heights from said upper edge to the fold, means for securing said flaps together. a sheet or transfer material positioned in the fold of the uppermost sheet and an additional sheet initially overlying said trans fer sheet to protect the same.

EDWARD Z. LEWIS. 

